Interview with David Demaret
Summary: David Demaret is one of the featured fantasy artists of our Collection #1. We interviewed him to better understand his artistic inspirations & thoughts on the current state of technology in art.
Article available on Medium
On November 24th, we released the first art collection of the Faerian gallery on the theme of “Light”. 6 artists participated conjointly with 22 unique artworks, all opening a different window to the realms of fantasy worlds.
Today, our artist spotlight is on David Demaret, also known as Moonchild or Moonxels. David is a dynamic and well-established artist in Paris, France. For over 30 years, he has transported people to realms of fantasy through his imaginative and innovative portrayals of the human condition. His work has been featured in video games such as Duke Nukem 3D, Alone in the Dark, Lord of the Rings, Driver, Counterstrike, King Kong, Star Trek and Legacy of Kain.
He was inspired to become an artist at a young age, while reading an artbook by Chris Foss – the sci-fi illustrator who illustrated Foundation Cycle, by Isaac Asimov. A passionate board game player and RPG player, he now illustrates Sci-Fi books and games.
To start, we checked in with David to see how he was doing, and what his ideal fantasy world looks like! Fantasy is unique in that everyone has a different ideal fantasy world that they can imagine. Lands full of dragons, heroes, and villains – and David has helped bring them to life through his work.
Faerian: Hi David! Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. How are you doing during this difficult time?
David: I’m barely surviving, but I’ll do my best to respond to your questions!
Faerian: If you could be one fantasy race (elf, human, dwarf, etc.), which one would you pick?
David: Dark Elf.
Faerian: Well that’s something we have in common! When I played Skyrim when I was younger, I always opted for the dark elf character option.
Everyone has a different idea of their ideal fantasy world, some are futuristic and dystopian, and some are of times gone by. If you could live in or visit the fantasy universe of your choice, which one would you pick? Why?
David: Nordic mythologies, I would be able to meet Freyja in person.
“Freyja” by David Demaret (2021)
Faerian: Such a stunning and powerful goddess. You captured her divinity and power so well in your artwork!
Every artist has different things that drive them. Things that inspire them, things that they want to express through the medium of art. What themes do you most enjoy exploring in your work and why?
David: Heroic Fantasy, medieval times. I have had enough with sci-fi these days.
Faerian: What made you want to be an artist?
David: Moebius/Chriss Foss/Heavy Metal (the movie). I was blown away by this as a kid.
Heavy Metal, the movie (1981)
Artwork from Chris Foss
Faerian: Why do you focus on fantasy universes? What do you love most about the world of fantasy?
David: I don’t know, it appeals to me, it feels like home.
Faerian: I feel that – I think that’s what I love about fantasy, is that at times it feels more at home than actual reality.
Who are your artistic inspirations?
David: Moebius, Chris Foss, Manara, Pepe Moreno, Frazetta, Ross Andru, HP Jacobs, Herge, Bisley.
Faerian: Great references in the world of fantasy art indeed. While Frank Fazetta while using oil painting back in the time, it’s interesting to see how more fantasy artists have been using the digital medium to do their art – and it’s also your case. What tools/techniques could you not live without?
David: Photoshop, nothing else, some fancy brushes and my magic sauce is a heavy use of layer styles, no actual pencil drawing – that’s very rare.
Faerian: No pencil drawing – just like Winterkeep, interesting. It is really fascinating to see that both the sketches and the final work can be done on the computer nowadays.
Next – We’d love to understand why you chose to work with the Faerian gallery to showcase your artwork?
David: Cynthia is nice!
Faerian: Agreed! It’s so important to work with someone you trust and that you get along well with. But how did you get that trust? What made you trust to sign with Faerian?
Faerian: Well, we’re blessed to have your trust and to have you in the gallery. Cynthia told me how delighted she was when you signed the contract. She had been following your profile for over ten years on DeviantArt before finally contacting you.
Talking about DeviantArt and its recrudescence of new AI artists there, what are your thoughts about AI art?
David: I hate this with all my heart, it steals actual art while they make millions, people that are using this call themselves “artists” and are mean toward us. We, artists, never asked for this. The journey is better than the destination, why would we want a 1 second art generator?? This is done for profit and will kill artists in all fields if we do nothing, art is a part of human DNA.
Faerian: I see what you mean, it almost takes the human element out of it – the “soul” of the art, you could say. Sticking with that theme – let’s chat more broadly about the virtual art world.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the NFT world?
David: No idea how it really works. If it sells, I’m happy with that.
Faerian: Yes, and we’ll do our best to push you to the top of the ladder.
To finish, what are your next exciting projects/adventures?
David: I’m working on a new board game with a nice IP!
Faerian: That sounds exciting! I hope you will ask us to be beta testers when the game comes out 🙂
Anything else you’d like to tell us?
David: Keep going, heroic fantasy and mythology is wonderful and you do a great job.
Faerian: We will! Thanks so much for taking the time David, and we are super excited to work with you and share your wonderful work with the world.
This was the second of 6 exclusive interviews from Faerian – so stay tuned for more exciting content from the world’s first fantasy art gallery.
You may see David Demaret’s portfolio through here.
- Interview with Jakub Jagoda - February 1, 2023
- Interview with Tomas Duchek - January 25, 2023
- Interview with Aelin Laer - January 24, 2023
